The Research and Development of the Titanium Nitrides TiNx Sublayer, Formed on the Surface of the Anodic Porous Transport Layer of PEM Water Electrolyzer

The large-scale commercialization of polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) water electrolyzers is still constrained by their high capital cost, which is largely associated with the use of noble metal-based electrocatalysts. There is an urgent need to reduce their loading in the composition of electrocatalytic layers. In the present work, an approach of the microporous sublayer made of titanium nitride (TiNx) and formed over the anode surface by magnetron sputtering is proposed. It contributes to an increase in the anode electrocatalyst utilization, opening up wide possibilities to reduce its loading.